


Coffee & Harmony

by lion_boy_13



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Feels, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Bruce Banner-centric, M/M, Minor Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Oblivious Bruce Banner, Oblivious Thor (Marvel), Protective Thor (Marvel), Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Steve Rogers & Thor Friendship, Thor-centric (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:35:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28179231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lion_boy_13/pseuds/lion_boy_13
Summary: In a universe where your soul mark tells you a key piece of information about your soulmate, surely it's not that hard to find the person that you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with, right? Wrong! Bruce and Thor are meant to be together, but their soul marks are the very thing keeping them apart
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Thor, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Kudos: 17





	1. The Intellectual Drink

Bruce had always been confused by his soulmark, since the day it appeared on his skin. He'd been ten years old at the time, not particularly young but not particularly old either. A few of his friends had already gotten their own, but most of the children in his class hadn't yet. It was a completely ordinary day, there was no reason for it to be special. Bruce had no clue his soulmark would just appear. His friends got theirs on a special day like their birthday, or the day that would become their anniversary. Bruce just woke up one morning and there it was. A tiny tattoo-like mark on his shoulder. A coffee bean. He didn't actually notice it for a few hours, someone had to point it out to him. Bruce had never expected to get his soulmark so early. He'd not really expected a soulmark at all. He spent hours and hours wondering who his soulmate could be. He didn't know anybody who liked coffee. Nobody Bruce's age drank coffee, and nobody else he knew liked it either. Ten-year-olds simply didn't enjoy drinking coffee. Eventually, he decided that it simply meant he'd meet his soulmate when he was older. 

As a teenager, Bruce fell in love with a boy in his science class called James. They barely spoke, but when they did, Bruce could hardly get the words out. As any teenager would, he began to wonder if maybe...just maybe...they might be soulmates. Unlike a lot of other people they knew, James kept his soulmark hidden, just like Bruce did. And because Bruce couldn't form words when he was around, they never talked about anything, definitely not their soulmarks. The unwavering hope and the endless confusion lasted for months. It only ended when Bruce finally caught a glimpse of James' soulmark. It had been raining that day and by the time James got to class, he was soaking wet. He pulled his hoodie over his head and by sheer chance, his shirt rode up with it. Bruce had been staring anyway, but when he saw James' soulmark, his eyes practically burst out of their sockets. A small test tube was engraved on his ribcage and Bruce could hardly believe his luck. He was determined to speak to James after class, so he did. He explained that he had a crush on James and saw his soulmark and it all seemed to fit. He took a deep breath and asked if James liked coffee. When he said he didn't, Bruce felt his whole world come crashing down. 

Even when Bruce was older he found that his soulmark was still a source of confusion. It wasn't until he met Tony that he found someone that his soulmark might relate to. Unfortunately, he learned very quickly that Tony couldn't possibly be his soulmate, which led him back to confusion. Despite being a part of the Avengers, Bruce preferred to keep to himself. He didn't know his other team members very well, but he highly doubted his soulmate could be one of them. Even if it was one of them, why would they want him? They all knew exactly how broken and damaged he was. They were heroes, while Bruce was just muscle. All he did was destroy things. Somebody like them would never want to be with somebody like him. Bruce had begun to think that finding his soulmate was a lost cause. Even if he found them, they'd never love him. So what was the point?

A few years past and Bruce got to know the other Avengers quite well. He had found a new family and they accepted him for who he was. He'd made friends with other people who weren't necessarily part of the Avengers, but they helped out. Most importantly, he was happy. Despite all of that, Bruce still couldn't stop thinking about his soulmate. Who were they? Why hadn't he found them yet? What if they were in another country? What if they just didn't want him? He tried to push the negative thoughts away. Perhaps his soulmate was confused too. Maybe they didn't know who their soulmark could apply to. That thought sent Bruce down a rabbit hole of thoughts. He started to wonder what his soulmate's soulmark might be. What little symbol had the universe decided to identify him with? Could it be something science-related? Maybe it had something to do with the Avengers! Perhaps it was something completely different. Bruce only hoped he'd find out soon.

While many people had the dilemma of not knowing anybody who their soulmark might relate to, Bruce had entirely the opposite problem. Every single member of the Avengers worshipped coffee like it was their God. Tony was fueled by the stuff! Steve, although immune to the effects of caffeine, was rarely found without a cup of some obscure type of coffee in his hand. Clint drank it black, straight from the coffee pot, almost constantly. Ever since Thor discovered coffee, he'd become addicted to caffeine. Peter Parker, being a genius high school student, practically lived off coffee. It was impossible to even talk to Wanda unless she'd had a cup of coffee. Even Natasha liked coffee more than she liked most people! In other words, it would be practically impossible for Bruce to find his soulmate!


	2. Taiji

Thor's soulmark had also been a major source of confusion for him. It appeared when he was around 500 years old, and he had no idea what it meant. It was a symbol he'd never seen before. A small circle split in two. One-half black, one-half white. In the middle of the black, a tiny circle of white. In the middle of the white, a tiny circle of black. His first thought was to run to his mother and ask if she'd ever seen it before. She hadn't. He asked everybody he could think of. Nobody had ever seen anything like it before. Not even the scholars had seen it. When Thor went to Heimdall, he couldn't say what it was or what it meant, just that Thor's future would be full of happiness. Thor was worried about who his soulmate was, especially since nobody on Asgard knew what his soulmark meant. He knew it must mean that his soulmate wasn't from Asgard and that made him worry even more. How would he find his soulmate? Would he have to leave his family in order to be with them? He didn't want to leave his home, but at the same time he longed for his soulmate.

Loki bullied Thor about his soulmark endlessly, especially since nobody seemed to know what it meant. He just hoped that one day, his soulmate would be able to tell him exactly what it meant and how it related to them. Thor spent hours fantasizing about who his soulmate might be, what kind of personality they might have, what they might look like. Maybe they'd be blonde, with hair that shone like the sun itself and a smile that would light up Thor's world. Maybe they'd be brunette, with eyes that radiated warmth and sitting next to them would feel like sitting by a fireplace on a cold winter's day. Maybe they'd be a redhead, with a personality that burned like a bonfire and a heart that yearned for adventure. He didn't really care who his soulmate was or what they looked like. Thor just hoped that he would be able to connect with them. He longed for a love like the ones in the stories he'd read as a child. He dreamt of princes and princesses and hoped that one day, he could be somebody's knight in shining armour. He wanted true love.

When Thor was banished to Earth, he met Darcy and Jane. Jane was able to tell Thor exactly what his soulmark meant. He learned it was a yin-yang symbol and that it represented balance and harmony. Thor just hoped that one day he'd find the person in his life that represented that harmony. At first, he was disappointed, although he would never admit it. His life was so fast and exciting! Peace and balance didn't really have a place in Thor's life. But the more he thought about it, the more he realised that peace, balance, and harmony was exactly what he needed. His soulmate would be his opposite and bring peace into his life. Thor began to wonder what his soulmates soulmark might be. Could it be something to do with lightning? His hammer? His royal heritage? He had no idea, but he hoped it would be easy enough for his soulmate to find him. Thor could hardly wait for the day he would meet his soulmate.

When Thor met the rest of the Avengers, he was immensely confused. He had always been so sure that his soulmate would be someone close to him. He'd hoped that he would lock eyes with a friend one day and realise that he was in love with them and they were his soulmate. Despite how much he wanted his soulmate to be one of them, it just couldn't be. Thor's soulmark represented balance and harmony, but balance was pretty much the opposite of the Avengers. Steve had never once been at peace; he'd lived his entire life fighting in a war! Tony was all fire and fierceness. Balance and peace just weren't synonymous with Tony Stark. He spent half his life making weapons of mass destruction, and the other half fighting the good fight. Natasha had balance in the literal sense, knowing ballet, but she was the opposite of harmonious. Besides, Thor was certain that she had already found her soulmate. Clint was a human disaster! He certainly didn't represent peace, balance, or harmony. As for Bruce, he was constantly at war with himself, fighting the Hulk, and trying his best to stay sane. He wasn't exactly balanced or at peace. None of the Avengers could possibly be Thor's soulmate!


	3. Hidden Bonds

"Hey Bruce," Tony said as he walked into their lab. "I've been wondering. Why don't you ever talk about your soulmark?"  
"I just prefer not to, I guess," Bruce replied, staring intently at the tablet he was holding.  
"Yeah, but why? Surely talking about your soulmark and sharing it would help you find your soulmate."  
"How do you know I don't already know who it is?" Bruce asked.  
"Bruce, I know you. If you knew who your soulmate was, you'd have told me by now instead of being all secretive!" Tony said with a smile. He tried to subtly sneak closer to Bruce, but Tony Stark was never known for subtlety.  
"Okay, you're right," Bruce admitted. "I have absolutely no idea who my soulmate could possibly be."  
"Tell me what your soulmark is! Maybe I can help you out!"  
"I don't think so, Tony," Bruce said, pretending to be more interested in test results than in the conversation. He was desperately hoping that a way out would present itself. The mere thought of continuing the conversation made him want to run and hide.  
"Awww, come on! Keeping secrets isn't fair!" Tony whined, sulking.  
"Trust me, Tony. You won't be able to help," Bruce said as he headed towards the door. "Besides, who on earth would want me as a soulmate?"

~~~

"Um, Steve? Can we talk?" Thor asked. He'd spotted Steve in the common room and decided it was the perfect time for a heart to heart.  
"Sure thing, Thor. What's up?" Steve asked.  
"I've been thinking about soulmates a lot recently and I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now. How did you know when you'd found your soulmate?"  
"Well, I always assumed that my soulmate would be in the '40s, but I never had the chance to find them. So when I woke up from the ice, I assumed that they'd be lost forever," Steve said. "Obviously that wasn't the case though."  
"Was it obvious that you found your soulmate?" Thor asked, looking genuinely curious. "Like, did you know straight away?"  
"No! I had no idea! I hated Tony when I first met him! I had no idea we'd end up being soulmates!" Steve replied, blushing a little as he remembered what he and Tony were like when they first met. "I thought he was so stuck-up and rude and obnoxious, but now I see that I got him all wrong. He's not rude and obnoxious at all, he's sweet and smart and kind!"  
"How did you know it was Tony?" Thor asked.  
"It took a while, but as I got to know him, I realised that he was the person I was supposed to be with. Falling in love with him helped, but eventually, I realised he was a huge softie on the inside. That was what my soulmark had been trying to tell me all along. It's why my soulmark is a teddy bear."  
"Thanks, Steve. You've been a great help!" Thor said, leaving the common room with a smile on his face.

~~~

"Why do you always talk about soulmates? Not everyone has soulmates! And some soulmates are platonic anyway," Bruce said, out of nowhere. He was keeping Tony company in his workshop while he tinkered with bits and bobs for the team.  
"Because I know you have a soulmate out there somewhere and I'm determined to find out who they are!" Tony said with a smile.  
"Speaking of soulmates, how did you find yours?" Bruce asked.  
"Come on, Bruce! I'm sure I've told you this story before," Tony said, attempting to avoid the inevitable.  
"Humor me," Bruce said as he began to smile.  
"You know that I hated Steve at first, right? I thought he was so self-righteous and still living in the past. I never thought we'd even be friends, let alone soulmates! Funnily enough, soulmarks didn't have much to do with us realising we were supposed to be together," Tony said, settling down to tell the story.  
"How did you know then?" Bruce asked.  
"I fell in love with him," Tony replied. "As plain and simple as that. I fell in love with him and realised I didn't want to live without him. As I got to know him better, I realised he was the person that my soulmark was pointing me towards. The little artist's easel on my wrist represented Steve all along."  
"Thanks, Tony. I actually feel a bit better now," Bruce said.

~~~

"I'm not trying to pry or anything," Steve said, in the middle of The Lion King. "I'm just curious. What's your soulmark?"  
"Does it really matter?" Thor asked. He was slightly disappointed that Steve had interrupted the movie to ask him *that*. He'd been enjoying it up until then.  
"I suppose not, but I have been wondering about it. I assume you don't have an Asgardian soulmate, right?"  
"My soulmate isn't Asgardian, no," Thor replied, looking visibly uncomfortable.  
"So they're somewhere on Earth, probably. Do you have any idea who they are?" Steve asked.  
"Not a clue. It's taken me hundreds of years just to figure out what my soulmark even means. I'm nowhere near figuring out who it's referring to!" Thor said.  
"It took ages for Tony and me to even realise that we were in love with each other, let alone realise we were soulmates. If two complete and utter idiots can manage it, I'm sure you and your soulmate can," Steve said with a friendly and encouraging smile.  
"Thanks," Thor replied slightly awkwardly.  
"Now if it'll make you feel a bit better, I'll shut up and we can finish the movie and steal some of Clint's snacks," Steve said.  
"Sounds good to me!"


	4. Heart of Gold

Time passed like a blur for Thor, unable to truly focus on anything. Missions came and went, villains tried and failed to take over the world. You know, the usual sort of stuff for the Avengers. His mind was preoccupied by his soulmate and the everyday issues he faced as an Avenger seemed small and irrelevant. He still had no idea who it could possibly be, but he was starting to develop some strange feelings for one of his team members. Thor knew it was very unlikely that they would be his soulmate. Possible, since he was still so baffled by his soulmark, but unlikely. He decided that the best course of action would be to keep a bit of a distance between them. Besides, he knew it wasn't anything serious. It couldn't be. It was just a schoolboy crush. It would go away soon, Thor was sure of it. It would have to.

The first time Thor was able to actually focus was, ironically, when a madman tried to take over the world. Well, he tried to take over New York at the very least. Why supervillains always picked New York baffled him. Sure, it's a big city, but surely there are more exciting places to try and conquer. The Bahamas, for example. Thor snapped out of his thoughts and realised that he'd been spending too much time with Tony and Steve. They were rubbing off on him. The big bad idiot trying to take over the world was called Mysterio, but that was pretty much all they knew about him, apart from the fact that he used to work for Tony. He'd been fired for being a bit of a douchebag and he was apparently pretty pissed off about that. He'd mind controlled a bunch of tourists to create a small army in the middle of Central Park. On top of that, he'd created some sort of water monster that was destroying the place. Nobody was too happy about having to give up their weekend to some maniac, but it had to be done.

It turned out that Mysterio packed one hell of a punch. Clint, Nat and Wanda were trying to stop the army of tourists and snap them out of their hypnotic state, Steve and Thor tried to take down Mysterio himself, which left Tony, Bruce, and Peter to take down the water monster. Things were actually going quite well for a while. Wanda's magic was able to break the spell on some of the tourists and set them free, and Tony's team was helping to destroy the water creature. At some point, Mysterio realised he was losing and created a second monster, this time made of stone. It separated Bruce from the rest of the Avengers, knowing that he was the strongest. For some reason, Bruce couldn't summon the Hulk. He simply refused to be involved. Maybe it was Mysterio's doing or maybe he was just having a bad day. Either way, Bruce was screwed. He sent out a desperate call for help over the comms, praying that someone would hear him.

Steve and Thor had just managed to find Mysterio when Bruce's SOS was heard over the comms. Before he could think, Thor ran to help him, knowing that Steve was more than capable of handling Mysterio. He'd promised himself that his feelings wouldn't get in the way of a mission, but just like his promise had gone out of the window. He felt physically sick at the thought of Bruce being hurt. When he arrived and saw the stone monster standing over Bruce, Thor saw red. Without thinking, he swung his hammer at the stone monster with all of his might and shattered it with one blow. He helped Bruce up off the ground and finally felt like he was able to breathe again.  
"Get yourself to safety. You're at risk here if you cannot Hulk out," Thor said, guiding Bruce away from the battle. Unfortunately, the rock monster was very angry at Thor and attacked with vengeance. Thor was flung across the battlefield, hitting a wall and getting the wind knocked out of him. Dazed and confused, he stood up to find Bruce protecting him. Still struggling to breathe and limping ever so slightly, Thor summoned his hammer, conjured lightning from the skies and obliterated the rock monster. Clearly Steve had stopped Mysterio, as the monster lay in pieces and didn't get back up.

"What did you do that for?" Thor demanded. "I told you to get to safety! I knew you would get hurt!"  
"You needed help, it was the only thing I could do. I wouldn't be much of an Avenger if I stood and watched while one of my teammates got hurt," Bruce answered, his face screwed up in pain.  
"Are you okay? Do you need medical treatment?" Thor asked, obviously worried about Bruce.  
"I'll be fine. It's just a few minor bumps and bruises," Bruce said, lying through his teeth. He didn't want Thor to know how much pain he was really in. "What about you? Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, I'm sure it's nothing," Thor said. His timing couldn't have been worse. As soon as those words left his mouth, his leg gave out and he collapsed in a heap on the floor.  
"We need medical attention over here," Bruce said over the comms. "Thor's in a pretty bad way and I'm not doing too great either."  
"We'll be right there, Bruce." Tony's voice crackled over Bruce and Thor's earpieces, although Thor's was pretty badly fried. "I'm glad you're both okay. It was a tough fight, everyone did really well. Let's take a few days off, yeah?"  
"That sounds like a great plan, Tony. I definitely need it, and I think everyone else does too," Bruce said, trying to hide just how exhausted he was. Luckily, the Quinjet arrived not long afterwards and took everyone back to the Tower to be patched up and to get some rest.


	5. Broken Bodies, Wandering Hearts

Both Thor and Bruce were stuck in medbay after their incident with the rock monster. Thor had broken a few ribs, bruised a lung, and badly sprained his ankle, and Bruce had dislocated his shoulder, broken more than a few bones in his hand, and bruised almost everything else. Both of them would be okay, Thor would heal in a matter of days, but Tony wanted them to be seen by a doctor. For once, Clint hadn't broken something, which meant they were alone together surrounded by endless white walls and boredom so intense it could've been deadly. The other downside of Clint being sensible for once was that medbay was awfully quiet. The silence was awkward and uncomfortable. Both Thor and Bruce had things that they wanted to say, but neither of them dared.

Eventually, Bruce broke the awkward silence. "I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, I'm really glad you came to help me when you did, but why on earth would you put yourself in so much danger for me?"  
There was a slightly awkward pause that lasted for a little bit too long before Thor replied. "You're an important member of the team. We wouldn't be the Avengers without you." Thor knew that almost every single word he'd said was a lie. He didn't throw himself in front of a giant stone monster because Bruce is an important team member.  
"Really?" Bruce asked in disbelief.  
"Yeah, really," Thor said, letting his feelings show in his voice. "You're a really valuable member of the team. It wouldn't be the same if something happened to you."  
"I guess I always forget that I'm actually important," Bruce admitted. "I'm not like you or Steve or Wanda. I don't have any superpowers or anything like that. I'm not like Clint or Natasha, they're trained assassins. I'm not even like Tony or Peter, who built fancy suits to help them be better heroes. I'm just me. Broken, damaged me."  
"I think 'just you' are a really important part of the team. You have cool skills in battle, obviously. The Hulk thing can really help us out in tight spots. But when we're not in a battle, you're even more important. You keep us all grounded. We can talk to you. You help to fix our bodies and our minds. You help Tony build all of our cools gadgets. You're really important, Bruce."

Thor immediately felt embarrassed. It felt like he'd just spilled his heart out to the guy he had a crush on. Surely Bruce would figure out that Thor had a crush on him. It was so embarrassing. The room felt heavy and cramped. Thor wanted nothing more than to leave, but he couldn't. He could feel his longing filling up the room, it was practically tangible. He might as well have hung a giant neon sign over his head saying "lovesick idiot". That was what he felt like anyway. However, as time passed and Bruce didn't say anything or act any differently, Thor began to consider the possibility that Bruce was unaware of his feelings. He breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Bruce had no idea about his silly little crush. As time passed, Thor began to relax and the awkward tension eased. They played silly puzzle games to pass the time and shared funny stories about the team, particularly about Steve and Tony.

By the time Steve and Tony came to visit them both, Bruce and Thor were laughing about something stupid and completely irrelevant. Steve passed on the news that Mysterio had been passed on to the appropriate authorities and that he would be dealt with appropriately. Tony brought the good news that the whole team was going to take a long weekend off and they weren't to be disturbed unless there was a serious emergency. He'd planned a movie night for the following evening and had decided to order pizza for everyone. At that, Tony ran off, leaving Steve with Bruce and Thor. He reappeared a few moments later holding two pizza boxes.  
"Sorry, I forgot to bring you guys your pizzas," Tony said. "By the way, doc says you're both free to go as long as you take it easy for a while. I'll be keeping an eye on you. Remember, I have eyes everywhere." Hearing that comment, JARVIS piped up.  
"Excuse me, Sir, but I am not a snitch. After all, snitches get stitches," JARVIS said in a monotone voice that made all four people laugh.  
"Okay, get lost, both of you!" Tony said with a laugh. "Go have fun and eat pizza!"


End file.
